Our material matters | Anglo American

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About us

At Anglo American we're re-imagining mining to improve people's lives.

Our portfolio

Our products are essential ingredients in so much of modern life – from smartphones, electric vehicles and household appliances to solar panels, wind turbines and data centres.

Sustainability

We have developed a Sustainable Mining Plan that will foster innovation and deliver step change results across the entire mining value chain.

Sustainability Strategy

Being a leader in sustainability is part of who we are. It sets us apart in our industry and enables us to live up to our Purpose – to re-imagine mining to improve people’s lives.

Discover our Sustainability Strategy

Sustainable Mining Plan

We have developed a Sustainable Mining Plan that will foster innovation and deliver step change results across the entire mining value chain.

FutureSmart Mining™

Smart innovation in technology, digitisation & sustainability working hand in hand to connect metals & minerals to all of us who need and value them.

Investors

Our operational and financial performance, presentations and reports.

Careers

Join us in transforming the very nature of the industry to help create a safer, cleaner, smarter future.

Media

We have developed a Sustainable Mining Plan that will foster innovation and deliver step change results across the entire mining value chain.

Suppliers

We have developed a Sustainable Mining Plan that will foster innovation and deliver step change results across the entire mining value chain.

Origins

We have developed a Sustainable Mining Plan that will foster innovation and deliver step change results across the entire mining value chain.

Introduction to materiality

We identify our material matters through an externally facilitated materiality assessment, which we expect to carry out every two to three years.

In 2023, we conducted a robust, stakeholder-driven double materiality assessment that sought to capture the key material issues that impact society and the environment (external) and impact Anglo American (internal).

This materiality assessment incorporated externally facilitated in-depth interviews with a range of internal and external stakeholders, supplemented by an internal survey sent to managers across the Group, and extensive desktop research.

A third party-led validation workshop then took place where subject-matter experts were asked to validate the matters identified as most impactful on both Anglo American and wider society.

The final materiality matrix was then approved by the Group‘s leadership and the Board. To supplement the prior year double materiality assessment, in 2024 we undertook extensive desktop research, including: review of the Group Risk Register; global media coverage and analyst reports on Anglo American and the mining sector; and analysis of Board and executive discussions.

Understanding our stakeholders

Healthy stakeholder relationships help us to better communicate how our business decisions, activities and performance are likely to affect or be of significant interest to our stakeholders, and provide the opportunity to co-create effective and lasting solutions to business and other challenges.

Anglo American’s stakeholders include host communities, governments, our workforce, customers, business partners, multinational organizations, industry peers, broader civil society, trade unions, trade associations and suppliers, in addition to our shareholders who own the business. In some instances, we work with representatives from multi-stakeholder initiatives to provide a more collaborative and holistic view on the issues facing our industry.

Beyond the materiality process, we continually engage with our stakeholders at global, national and local levels to develop long-term mutually beneficial relationships that support responses to society’s most pressing challenges.

Trusted Corporate Leader

Health, safety & wellbeing of the workforce

Promote and enable health, safety, and wellbeing of employees and workers throughout the value chain; provide training, tools and practices to address these issues; implement a management approach to anticipate significant/critical incidents and factors that could lead to these incidents.

Learn about our approach to workforce safety and wellbeing

Business ethics, governance and transparency

Ensure ethical business practices; transparent corporate behaviour (incl. payments for governments); ESG integration and governance (incl. board composition and oversight); publicly reporting on ESG-related issues, risks, opportunities and outcomes as well as how they are managed and addressed by the business.

Learn about our approach to ethical business

Economic impact on producer countries

Directly or indirectly generate and distribute economic value in host countries e.g. through trade, benefit/value sharing, regional development, fair tax contribution.

Learn about our approach to ethical business

Cybersecurity & data privacy

Safeguarding Anglo American’s people, operations, digital platforms, stakeholders and data; Protecting internal safety systems, third-party equipment, networks, devices, data, etc. from unauthorised access or criminal use; Safeguarding the privacy & personal data of customers, employees and business partners.

Labour Rights for employees and supply chain

Identify and address risks linked to modern slavery, child or forced labour; protect rights and labour/working conditions of formal, informal, temporary/contract and migrant workers across the value chain through training, policies and procedures; protect the freedom of association and collective bargaining for workers; living wage; and enable access to grievance mechanisms.

Learn about our approach to human rights

Talent attraction and retention

Attract, recruit, empower, and retain a skilled workforce; culture of workforce engagement, trust and collaboration; skills shortages; Training and development for the workforce to build capabilities, career opportunities and advance knowledge to ensure skills and talent pipeline for the future of work; and Fair treatment, compensation and access to opportunity for all employees and workers along the value chain; diverse workforce, board and executive management team; promote a culture of equity and inclusion across the value chain, in communities where we operate and in broader society.

Responsible Supply Chain

Ensuring supply chain practices align with ethical, environmental and social standards for Anglo American; Ensuring risk identification across the supply chain, aligned with our framework including Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Environmental Responsibility, Integrity and Ethical Conduct, Respect for Human Rights and Labour Standards and Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Contribution; and supporting regulatory and disclosure reporting.

Learn about our approach to responsible sourcing

Responsible product offering

Consideration of social and environmental impacts associated with resource/commodities/product offerings, prioritising options with lower environmental footprint, third party certifications, avoidance of conflict-affected and high-risk areas etc; attentive to changing customer needs for sustainable products.

Bribery and corruption

Safeguard against bribery, fraud, extortion, collusion, money laundering, corruption etc.

Learn about our approach to ethical business

Advocacy on environmental, social, fiscal & governance issues

Support or advance public policy that aligns with the company’s environmental, social and governance goals, practices, and values; collaborate with public sector, peers and industry associations to advocate for better outcomes for people and planet.

Learn about our approach to policy advocacy

Healthy Environment

Climate change

Promote solutions, manage disruptions, and enhance resiliency to climate change impacts for own operations and for communities; support broader just transition to a green economy.

Learn about our approach to climate

Water use, quality and availability

Reducing water use in operations (operational withdrawals); - protecting water quality; - ensuring water availability/access/security for communities; - responsible management of water sources and discharges.

Learn about our approach to water management

Biodiversity and land use

Preventing loss of / restoring plant and animal species and ecosystems; reducing / managing the impact of operations on the physical environment from exploration through to mine closure, and the impact of nature-related risks on the business.

Learn about our approach to nature

Mineral waste and tailings management

Mineral waste management in operations and along the value chain; design to eliminate mineral waste; responsible tailings and mineral waste rock management; hazardous and chemical mineral waste management and safe practices.

Learn about our approach to tailings management

Thriving Communities

Economic development of communities

Improve economic diversification and livelihoods in local/host communities; employ from local communities at all seniority levels; use suppliers local to operations where possible.

Learn about our approach to livelihoods

Responsible mine closure and post-mining transition

Minimise and responsibly manage social, environmental and employment impacts from mine closure and decommissioning of operations; transition mines to a new type of asset post-closure.

Community, Indigenous and Security Rights

Recognising, respecting, and promoting the individual and collective rights of Communities; Recognising, respecting, and promoting the individual and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, including right to Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), cultural rights and identity; and Recognising potential impact of our security context and management of the rights of community members, workforce, security personnel.

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Community consultation and engagement

Ensure open dialogue with communities near operations; provide opportunity for communities to have a voice, be heard and raise concerns about operations or programmes that may impact them; and enable access to grievance mechanisms.

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Community health & social development

Promote and enable community development through contribution to social infrastructure (e.g. education, healthcare, social supports) and training and development to build capabilities and career opportunities; assess, manage and mitigate health and safety impacts on communities; avoid, manage and mitigate impacts on cultural heritage.

Learn about our approach to community health

Thriving communities
Healthy environment
Trusted corporate leader

Navigate our Sustainability Strategy

Use this model to learn about the themes and focus areas within our Sustainability Strategy.